As a fellow Brit meself, dear Emma, the answers to your questions are Yes. Basically Thanksgiving has become a marketing event, seized on by companies to unload goods that were over-priced in the first place. Same with Christmas.
As a disbeliever, can't say I complain too much when I say that the initial religious aspects of both holidays have pretty much become lost (sorry, all those Evangelist posters on these boards! .
It's all about buying, buying, buying, oh and eating.
Those poor old turkeys; thank goodness I'm a vegan, so I don't lose any sleep about stuffing cavities....LOL.
Here's to Guy Fawkes day! (At least he was trying to so something useful by blowing up Parliament!!!!) LOL